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Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

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Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#211

Post by danielmarkbruce »

fishtoaster wrote: post #210
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go to costco, buy prime filet. Put it in a ziplock in a sous vide at 130 for an hour. Drop it in corn oil at 425 for 30 seconds. Add some butter and salt. That simple process, suggested by Nathan Myhrvold (former MSFT cto) in the modernist cuisine, produces a filet better than most restaurants.

Since we're deep enough in this thread where we're talking about steak rather than AI, I'd like to lean into that. I used to sous-vide a lot . It was certainly great to get perfectly-done steak. but I still didn't love the result and it took me a while to figure out. Specifically: sous-viding at 130 doesn't reliably render fat. So it's great for a lean filet mignon like your suggesting, but kept giving me rubbery fat…

Sure - but you shouldn't be running a ribeye, as an example, at 130. Run it at 138 for 4 hours.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#212

Post by danielmarkbruce »

puchatek wrote: post #197
garbageman wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sous vide are even cheaper now, $30 for a basic one, provided you've got a stock pot or something large enough to set it in.

You need something to vacuum seal the food. Is that included in the $30?

you really don't for most things. Ziplock is fine for things that take an hour or two.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#213

Post by danielmarkbruce »

pton_xd wrote: post #194
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then don't go to a good restaurant. Sous vide is extremely common, and oils of various types are used liberally.

Yeah, that's (one of the reasons) why eating out frequently is unhealthy.

The discussion is about a good steak....

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#214

Post by ed_elliott_asc »

MostlyStable wrote: post #30

I take the point, but I think the author picked a poor analogy. Cooking even an excellent steak is actually not that hard. In fact, I'd argue that it's among the easiest things to master/make at a top level quality at home. Does it require some modicum of attention and understanding? Sure. But starting with a high quality cut, owning a meat-thermometer, and knowing about reverse searing is about all it takes to relia…

And salting overnight :)

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#216

Post by empressplay »

About five years ago I flash-fried a frozen steak.

Now I only eat steaks grilled from frozen. Get the grill nice and hot (450F at least) and throw the frozen steak on the grill. 5-10 minutes each side usually gets it nice and crispy on the outside while rare and tender in the middle.

Seriously, try it.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#217

Post by wildzzz »

PaulRobinson wrote: post #78
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go to costco, buy prime filet. Put it in a ziplock in a sous vide at 130 for an hour. Drop it in corn oil at 425 for 30 seconds. Add some butter and salt. That simple process, suggested by Nathan Myhrvold (former MSFT cto) in the modernist cuisine, produces a filet better than most restaurants.

That "simple process" requires equipment most people don't own or know how to operate, an oil most people don't keep in their cupboards, and is suggested in a book most people haven't heard of by a tech CTO they would not recognise the name of. Honestly this is like the Dropbox comment all over again. Everyone is missing the point, it's glorious. :) Most people cooking steaks don't care about the optimal way to cook…

I used to sous vide steak in college with just some hot water and my roommate's six-pack cooler. Water should be no more than 5F warmer than the cook temp. For a medium rare steak, cook temp is 129F so get close that. Salt the steak no more than an hour before you start. Steak goes into a Ziploc bag, submerge it up to the zipper to let water pressure force out the air and then seal it shut. Close the lid and come back in an hour, two hours if it's a thicker steak. Take it out of the bag, blot it with a paper towel, apply some steak seasoning, and toss it on a pan at the hottest temperature you can make it. Wait 3 minutes and flip, wait another 3 minutes and serve immediately. Toss a pat of butter on top while in the pan if you're a hedonist.

Only prerequisites are a cheap kitchen thermometer, a ziploc gallon bag, and a cheap cooler. Everything is available at your typical supermarket or even goodwill. This is a very hands off cooking method and requires no experimentation, just follow the recipe and you get a perfect steak every time.

The key is that a cooler holds hot things just as well as cold things but without a circulator and heater to keep the water warm, you're at the mercy of the cooler's R-value. The water will eventually get too cold to effectively cook the meat so you're limited in the length of time you can sous vide. Doing a 24 hour chuck roast is simply not going to work unless you're refilling the cooler every couple hours.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#218

Post by gamblor956 »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #71
PaulRobinson wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All metaphors break at some point. However, your example actually proves the point. How many people who want a good steak know how to identify a high quality cut? Do they even know where to buy a high quality cut? What the different cuts are and whether they want rump, sirloin or fillet? How many kitchens have a meat thermometer? How many home cooks know how to use it and what the right temperature should be? How man…

Go to costco, buy prime filet. Put it in a ziplock in a sous vide at 130 for an hour. Drop it in corn oil at 425 for 30 seconds. Add some butter and salt. That simple process, suggested by Nathan Myhrvold (former MSFT cto) in the modernist cuisine, produces a filet better than most restaurants.

a filet better than most restaurants.

Bad restaurants, sure. It does not hold a candle to any half decent steakhouse.

Re: Software development with AI is starting to feel like cooking steak

#219

Post by lizardking »

nunez wrote: post #185
lizardking wrote: post #118

Cooking a genuinely good steak also requires almost no skill. I can give you a chicken scratch note with 3 bullet points and it will come out nearly perfectly.

Slight disagree, as many will heat their pan too high and burn the steak before it cooks through. Or maybe that was just me when I first learned how to cook steak the right way. ("Medium"/"medium-high" doesn't necessarily correlate to the position of the knob on the burner or whether the pan feels medium/medium-high)

True, what constitutes "Medium" on your individual stove is maybe the one single complicating factor! Otherwise it's:

- Cut steak in preheated oven at 250 degrees. - Pull at 125-130 degrees internal temp - Cook one minute per side in a skillet on medium heat

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